How we verify every rule
In short
A rule appears on the Desk only when it is quoted word for word from an official source, matches a second official source, and was checked in the last 180 days. Rules are re-checked after 150 days and removed automatically at 180. Where a rule is not verified, the page says so and links to the official source.
General information, not legal advice. This page is for general information only and isn’t legal, financial or tax advice. Laws vary by state and change; check the official source or talk to a qualified professional about your situation. Every rule on this page links to its official source.
Where the rules come from
- Official sources only. State rules come from the U.S. Department of Labor's state tables, state labor department websites and state legislature websites. Commercial summaries are never used as a source.
- A saved copy of every source. Each source page is saved with its address and the date it was fetched, so any rule can be traced back to the exact text it came from.
How we verify a rule
- A literal quotation. The text supporting a rule is quoted word for word, and an automated check confirms the quotation exists in the saved source page.
- Numbers that match. Every number in a rule (days, hours, amounts) has to appear in the quoted text.
- An official domain. The source has to be a government or state legislature website.
- Two matching sources. A rule is published only when two official sources agree, for example the statute and the state labor department. If they disagree, the rule is marked unverified and does not appear. Each rule shows how many official sources it was checked against.
- A verification date. Every rule shows the date it was last checked.
Keeping rules current
- Sources are fetched again on a schedule. When the text of a source changes, the rules based on it go back through the checks.
- A rule is queued for a new check 150 days after it was last verified.
- A rule that has not been re-verified within 180 days is removed from the Desk automatically, until it passes the checks again.
- Rules can also be put on hold after an audit; a rule on hold is treated as not verified.
When we have not verified a rule
If a rule for your state is missing or not yet verified, the Desk does not guess. It says "We have not verified this rule for your state yet" and links to the official source to check, usually a page from your state labor department or the list of state labor offices.
Data products and their limits
- The verified rules are also published as data files (JSON and CSV), with the same sources and verification dates as the pages.
- Where the Desk shows public enforcement data (for example cases closed by the U.S. Department of Labor), it is a record of investigations that the agency completed. Enforcement data is not a violation rate: it depends on where investigators looked and on complaints filed, so it cannot tell you how common a problem is in a state or an industry.
- Any figure we calculate ourselves is labelled as an estimate, with the method next to it.
How the templates are written
- The templates follow the structure described in public guidance from the Department of Labor, the EEOC and the SBA, in neutral language, with fields for you to complete.
- Clauses that depend on the state (such as final-pay timing) are linked to the rule for your state, with the same checks as above.
- Every page passes an automated check that blocks unsupported legal claims, invented experience and promises.
- The templates are free, self-help starting points. We do not prepare documents for individual cases and do not give legal advice.
Corrections
If you find a rule that is wrong or out of date, report it through our corrections page. A reported rule is re-checked against its sources; if it no longer matches, it is corrected or taken down, and the change is recorded with its date.
What happens to what you type
The documents are filled in and generated in your browser. What you type is not sent to InterObservers and is not stored. Your state choice and checklist ticks are saved in your own browser's storage so the pages open in your state next time. See our privacy policy.
Who is behind it
The Desk is part of InterObservers. The research pipeline uses AI models to read official pages and extract candidate rules; the automated checks above decide what is published. Our about page explains how the site is produced and paid for.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: State labor laws
- U.S. Department of Labor: State labor offices
- EEOC: Small business
- SBA: Hire and manage employees
Checked Sep 24, 2026 · How we verify every rule · Report an error